Day 18: Middle East

30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening

Today, Israel killed more than 400 Palestinians, including women and children. The surprise airstrikes on Gaza came in response to Hamas‘ refusal to amend January’s ceasefire. In return, Hamas threatened to kill all remaining Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023, the day Muslim extremists massacred 1,200 Israelis and began this war which has has claimed the lives of 48,500 Palestinians. (See our Israel-Gaza page and today’s news.)

Pray for mourning families, and those who are once again displaced, that God will reveal Himself to them in powerful ways, draw them to Himself and save them. Pray every heart in Gaza and Israel will know the Truth who sets them free, and God will bring forth a quick and right end to this terrible war.

Verses for contemplation: Isaiah 61:1-4

More than 3,000 years ago, the Hebrews settled in the area of today’s Israel, where King David ruled from Jerusalem, and where Jesus died and rose again. Acts 2 suggests those who heard the Gospel in their own languages at Pentecost would have taken it back to Iran (Parthians, Medes, Elamites), Turkey (Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia), Jordan and Syria (Arabs). Paul and other apostles traversed the cities and ports of what we now know as Syria, Cyprus, Turkey and Lebanon, sharing the Gospel and planting churches.

Thaddeus (Jude) and Bartholomew are said to have carried the Gospel to Armenia in the first century, where it became the first nation to declare Christianity its state religion in AD 301. About 94% of today’s Armenians, survivors of massive killings and a Communist takeover by neighboring countries in the 20th century, claim to be Christians. But their Muslim Azerbaijani neighbors have fought fiercely against them over Nagorno-Karabakh region. On a high note, the two countries agreed to sign a peace agreement last Thursday to end four years of war.

Islam did not begin until AD 610, when Muhammad (residing in Mecca, Saudi Arabia) received what he claimed to be divine revelations. Throughout the next centuries, the spread of Islam mainly came through brutal conquests of nations and peoples.

Today, violence remains a theme in the Middle East, where Christians are persecuted (especially those who convert from Islam), Muslims fight against Muslims, women are oppressed and abused, children are forced into armies, and genocides are not uncommon. Wars waged by Muslims in recent years have displaced vast multitudes of Syrians (over 12 million), Yemenis (4.5 million) and Palestinians (1.4 million), as well as other Islamic peoples.

But in the midst of so much unrest, the underground church is growing. Weary of hatred and violence, many Muslims are seeking Truth and finding Jesus. In fact, because so many Islamic peoples have no access at all to the Gospel, Jesus Himself often appears to them in dreams inviting them to believe in Him.

Iran now hosts the fastest growing church in the world, but Christians converts from Islam face severe persecution.

See this eye-opening video about persecuted Christians in Iran:

Let’s pray for these Iranian Christians persecuted for their faith in Christ:

• On March 8, three Iranian Christian converts from Islam, including a pregnant woman, Narges Nasri, were sentenced to over 40 years in prison because of their faith in Christ. The same day, Somayeh Rajabi, a Christian woman imprisoned on February 6, was released on an exorbitant bail of over $40.000. (Article 18, ArticleEighteen.com, March 10-11)
• Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian and Christian convert Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh remain in Evin prison without formal charges or access to a lawyer since their re-arrest a month ago because of their love for Jesus. Nasser is in his second month of a hunger strike. (A18 ,March 4-5)

Prayer points to consider:

• Religious barriers (Jewish, Muslim)
• Islamic extremism, violence, terrorism
• Christian converts from Islam imprisoned, tortured, killed
• Christians abducted, forced to marry Muslim men
• Oppressive governments
• Wars, uprisings, power struggles
• Child soldiers
• Unreached peoples (especially Iran and Turkey)
• Hunger, starvation, war refugees
• Displaced families
• Drought, floods, earthquakes

Prayer starter:

Lord, please awaken the Middle East to You. Burn like an all-consuming fire, leaping over walls of religion and terror to ignite every heart with the flames of Your unending love. Visit the lost in dreams and visions. Stand in the midst of both Muslims and Jews who pray and tell them who You truly are. Show up in such powerful ways that both those who run from You and those who seek You will find You. So many are coming to You now in this region, especially as they see Muslim violence. They want to follow a God of Love, not war. Break their hearts and show them the way to salvation. Be tenderhearted toward refugees, O God. Bring Christians to them to care for them, counsel them and share Your Good News. Make a way for every person of every tribe and language to hear Your Word and be saved. Hide every Christian and church from persecution and harm. Rise up and fight for Your people, O Lion of Judah. May those bent on evil hear You roar, and tremble. Rescue those who are trapped, imprisoned or in danger. Fill Your people with unending peace and even joy in the midst of trials. Give them courage to stand up under every trial and SHINE. May their enemies see their forgiveness and surrender to the God who loves like that. And please, Lord, draw the people of Israel up into Your arms. Show them Jesus is the One they’ve been longing for. May they meet such loving Christians and hear the Gospel presented in such a clear way they cannot deny the Truth. Bring about a church planting movement that will turn every heart to You.

Parallel Prayer: Our 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening coincides with Ramadan. March 1-30, Muslims throughout the world are fasting and seeking God right now. Let’s pray they find Him! 

Lord, about 20% of the world’s Muslims, nearly 337 million, live in the Middle East. Surprise them with Your love. Much of their lives have been spent in terror or causing terror. They need You so desperately. We ask You, Lord, for imams, extremists, community leaders and fathers, that You will meet them in their dreams and give them visions from Your heart to theirs. Stun them with road-to-Damascus experiences like Paul had (Acts 9) with You that will turn them from lies to Truth, from persecuting those who love You to becoming a follower of Christ themselves. Bring whole families, whole villages, even whole nations to You, Jesus. Right now, during Ramadan, begin that movement of Your Spirit in every heart that will awaken them to You.

Dinner and a Prayer: Each day during these 30 days, we will share with you ideas for special family prayer times, including a suggested menu to go with that day’s prayer theme. Today’s suggestions:

Search the internet to choose recipes from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and/or Bahrain. You can also invite family members to research some of these countries to find barriers to the Gospel, and then talk together about those as you pray. Menu suggestions: hummus and pita bread (Israel), chicken kabsa (Saudi Arabia), imam bayildi (Turkish stuffed eggplant), qabili palau (Afghanistan), gozinaki (Georgian nuts and honey)

As you research today’s region of the world for prayer, type in a country name or other word here in our search engine and see where God leads you.

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You can also go to Joshua Project to discover unreached peoples, and Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs to see where and how Christians are persecuted.

If you would like to plan ahead for international meals, see the “Dinner and a Prayer” section at the bottom of our 30 Days page or in the back of your 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening, Vol 2 book.

For suggestions on how to have an even fuller experience this month, check out our 30 Days and So You Think You Can’t Fast pages here at the Prayer Wall.

Fight the right fight with these powerful devotional Bible studies from MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com on overcoming the enemy in the battlefield of the mind, breaking free from strongholds and loving well: Dare to Be a Man of God and Dare to Be a Mighty Warrior.

More books for all ages from MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com:

Mikaela Vincent and her husband are missionaries who live by faith, trusting in God to provide for their needs as they pray for and share Christ with the nations. If you would like to help their ministry through giving a donation, shopping at Mikaela’s online bookstore, praying for them or inviting them to speak at your church, retreat or other event, click the buttons below:

Any proceeds this author receives from the sale of the deep devotional Bible studies and other MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com books mentioned in this post go to shining Christ’s light in the darkness and seeing the nations come to Him. 

Thank you for your support! If you have any questions or want to help with this ministry, please  contact Mikaela.